Just a quick update… LGD and LGD.int both play today in the GEST Dota competition, hosted by our friends at Dotatalk… LGD.int is up first (live now) against Orange, LGD.cn will go against MUFC later in the day.
English stream at http://www.twitch.tv/beyondthesummit — Chinese stream at http://www.fengyunzhibo.com/tv/kentdota2.htm
Original: http://17173.tv.sohu.com/v/1/11681/138/MTM4MzQwMw==
In this short video, a rare direct glimpse into the sight and sounds of top teams as they compete, we see iG and DK playing at WCG 2012… then they get into a shouting match of sorts. They’re shouting commands to their respective teammates at first, then their shouts become more targeted towards what the other team is shouting. And then in the last bit, ChuaN, who is not playing for iG at WCG, gives his voice in support of iG. All in a sort of joking manner from both sides, but very intense still, and it shows the rivalry. I think I lost 3 pounds just from watching that.
Dotaland note: brand new youtube channel up, hopefully doing more of these in the future. Message me on twitter or reddit for requests. Comments and constructive criticism welcome. Thanks to kupon3ss of TL for prodding me into trying this out.
The original, by GTV, here: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDgxOTkxNzc2.html
Original: http://dota2.sgamer.com/video/201212/31756.html
Short clip, introduces the event and its purpose, notes that WCG promotes ‘healthy online gaming’, and then gives a little background on Chinese performance this year and last year. Main point here is that this was on CCTV-1, the main channel of CCTV, which is China’s official media entity. It was also broadcast during the nightly news, so pretty big influence.
Original: http://dota2.178.com/201211/148269962870.html
Q: Hello Dendi, thank you for accepting 178’s interview. This is your first time visiting Kunshan right? What first impressions do you have of this city?
Dendi: Hello. To be honest, I don’t yet have much of an impression, because I came here directly after getting off the plane.
Q: Then how do you feel about the atmosphere of the event here?
Dendi: Very nice, although it feels like there are relatively few people. But Chinese viewers are very passionate.
Q: Previously we heard that the Ukrainian team’s travel visas encountered some issues, can you explain what happened?
Dendi: Ok, because we were coming directly after playing at Dreamhack, schedules were very cramped, so at the airport when we spoke with the customs officer we were told that our visas had problems. After hearing that, we begged them and asked them in every way, and finally the second day they allowed us to go.
Q: Has this mishap affected you guys at all, are you tired at all? Does it affect your form?
Dendi: No, not at all. Conversely, we actually got quite a bit of rest time during the day that we spent waiting, we passed it quite luxuriously, so there aren’t any problems.
Q: The Ukrainian team this time is pieced together with players from different teams, how do you feel about the team’s ability level? How is your teamwork coming along, did you engage in any special training for WCG?
Dendi: These players and I go back quite far, and players like goblin are long-time veterans, lots of experience, so their ability is absolutely solid. The only thing we lack is team understanding, because time has been quite tight so we never had any previous practice. We’ll have to learn as we compete; let’s see if there will be good results.
Q: Actually, you have practiced! Just now at the Dota2 expo booth here, weren’t you guys grouped up in a match?
Dendi: Haha, that was just for fun.
Q: Then tell us about your Void just now… why did you build Arcane boots and two Blades of Attack?
Dendi: Playing pubs is just for fun, so I built whatever I felt like building, plus Void does really have mana problems!!
Q: In your latest match in WCG, your team easily defeated a Mongolian team, talk a bit about that match.
Dendi: It was alright, but the internet at the live event really is horrid. The screen was stuttering back and forth, this really affects our performance.
Q: In your group, there are two other powerhouses in Orange and DK, do you think you have a good chance at advancing from the group?
Dendi: I can’t really say, we can only try our best, and beat at least one of DK or Orange.
Q: At this WCG, which team do you think will take the title?
Dendi: DK or iG I think, Orange has a chance too. Of course we are good as well *laughs*
Q: Is this your first time participating in a WCG World Finals? What are your thoughts on Dota2’s first appearance as an official competition?
Dendi: I’m very excited, after all WCG is an old-school big name competition. As for Dota2 being added in, I can only say one thing: it’s cool!!!
Q: Next up we’re gonna head into gossip hour. Your style and personality has won quite a bit of fame and following, and a lot of Chinese girls like you a lot, did you know this?
Dendi: Haha, I didn’t know
Q: Well then, do you like China’s girls? Any considerations of finding yourself a Chinese girlfriend?
Dendi: It’s possible, Chinese girls are quite nice, for example there are many hotties right here at this venue, haha.
Q: Alright, I can only say I wish you good luck then. Thank you Dendi for the interview, we hope you will bring us more exciting play.
Dendi: Thank you. Nihao, wo ai ni (spoken in Chinese by Dendi here, means Hello, I love you)
Original: http://fight.pcgames.com.cn/warcraft/dota/interview/1211/2700000.html
Q: Hello, CH! Long time no see!
CH: Indeed, it truly has been quite a while.
Q: As ChuaN-god’s replacement for iG here at WCG, how do you feel?
CH: I think quite honored, after large-scale competitions like WCG aren’t many, and I’ve really been hungry for a return to the battlefield, to enjoy the rush brought about by competing.
Q: Yesterday, ZSMJ confirmed at the Perfect World Dota2 expo booth that he was returning to competitive Dota, can you talk about how your new team’s creation is coming along?
CH: Indeed, ZSMJ first contacted, and I was very glad to help him. Our goals are the same. Right now the team only has three players, [in addition to myself and ZSMJ], the other player currently is a Zhensan (Dotaland note: Zhensan is a Warcraft 3 mod similar to Dota, using Romance of the Three Kingdoms lore) player named Show. We’re currently searching for the other two players. The hope is to complete the team by the end of the year.
Q: Have you found sponsors for the new team?
CH: The team’s sponsor situation is exceptionally stable, the base will be in Tianjin. Currently the team name also has LGD in it, it will take the format of LGD.XXX (the specific details beyond this cannot be revealed yet)
Q: Speaking of, thinking back to originally when iG’s new roster excluded your name, what was the feeling like?
CH: To be honest, really sad and disappointed. The only thing I could do while sitting at home with nothing to do was to play a few pubs, at that time the ladder system had just debuted, I remember I was ranked top 10 or so.
Q: Well, we wish for you to continue your efforts and good luck in your career!
CH: Thank you, this is why I’ve come back!
Unable to play in WCG, ChuaN is hanging out. Here he’s been recruited as an emergency translator as GTV’s Xiaoyou attempts to interview Dendi! I make no judgment of the interviewer. lol. Dendi shows off his limited Chinese skills, all in all good fun.
Rough transcript below (actually not that rough).
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDgyMTM4NDE2.html
Rough transcript (including the obvious English parts for completeness):
0:18 Xiaoyou: Here we are fortunate enough to get an interview with NaVi’s Dendi, representing the Ukrainian team in Dota2 at WCG, a player that everyone loves. First off let’s have him say hi to everyone!
0:33 Dendi: Hello, I am Danil Ishutin, I play for NaVi, at this WCG I play for Ukraine.
0:42 Xiaoyou: Oh, I forgot to mention, this here we have ChuaN who is serving as our special translator, give him a shot. Okay, good, thank you to him for the hard work.
0:49 Xiaoyou: *laughs* Really, the two of them have a great relationship, we can all see this. Anyway, we’d like to ask Dendi, how many times have you visited China?
0:55 Dendi: Twice before, yeah…
1:02 Xiaoyou: Then can you speak any Chinese?
1:04 Dendi: Yeah of course — Nihao (means hello), wo ai ni (means I love you)… … …
1:09 Xiaoyou: *laughs* Well, thank you! I’m so touched that I’ve knocked this thing of my mic…
1:14 Xiaoyou: So he’s said everything I want to hear, and now I’m blushing >.<
1:20 Xiaoyou: Now that this is your third time here, can you tell us your impression of China?
1:22 Dendi: Mmm, it’s pretty good. Only been here one day so far this time.
1:34 Xiaoyou: Then… you like China?
1:40 Dendi: Yeah! Of course! *nods*
1:44 Xiaoyou: *laughs* I really want him to say a bit more! Then let’s ask him his impression of the girls here in China.
1:54 Dendi: China girls are very cute.
2:00 Xiaoyou: Ohh, yes, I see. *embarrassed* When he said that he glanced at me!! Nah, just kidding.
2:04 Xiaoyou: Okay, let’s ask some real questions. You’re here for the Dota2 competition, representing Ukraine. Then, were there any special preparations before coming here to compete?
2:16 Dendi: *ooooh points at ChuaN accusingly (he thought ChuaN mistranslated on purpose to ‘steal’ practice secrets, joke of course)* Well, we have some strategies in mind but we didn’t practice at all.
2:30 Xiaoyou: Ah. So when he pointed at you just now, it was because you are iG and he was accusing you of trying to sabotage them?
2:36 ChuaN: Yeah.
2:36 Xiaoyou: Ohh. We can see that Dendi is indeed very smart. Okay then, now I want to ask a bit about iG. At TI2 in Seattle you guys ended up losing to iG to take 2nd place, did you do any extra analysis of iG afterwards?
2:53 Dendi: We tried to realize what went wrong, and so on, yeah.
3:03 Xiaoyou: At this competition, who do you think is your biggest threat?
3:08 Dendi: ChuaN is my bodyguard! Eh, DK, Orange, and iG… but without ChuaN, iG’s chances are … *shrugs laughingly*
3:22 Xiaoyou: Indeed. So without ChuaN iG is not threat to them, is that what he means?
3:34 Dendi: No I’m joking, iG is strong of course…
3:38 Xiaoyou: Okay, at last, because there are many many fans that really love Dendi, we hope that Dendi can say some words to all those fans of his.
3:47 Dendi: … I love you too! *smiles*
3:51 Xiaoyou: Oh… is that all? I want him to say more, because this competition is an important one, how about he says some stuff to add oil for his own team here?
3:59 Dendi: Yeah, we understand that it is big, and we will try our best. *shrugs*
4:13 Xiaoyou: And we also hope that he will achieve his results, and not let all us fans down!
4:20 Dendi: Yeah, thank you.
4:25 Xiaoyou: Okay then. We hope everyone plays well. This was an on-site report brought to you by GTV.
Original: http://dota.178.com/201211/148172451477.html
ZSMJ is at WCG in person, and 178’s reporters got an interview with in and asked about his forming of a new team, let us see what he has to say.
178: Thank you for accepting our interview ZSMJ. Long time now see, want to say hello to everyone?
ZSMJ: Hello everyone, I am ZSMJ. Very happy that I could be at the WCG Finals here.
178: You’ve been retired for a fair amount of time, can you reveal anything about your life after retirement, have you gotten used to a Dota-less lifestyle?
ZSMJ: For the past bit of time I’ve had a steady job, so I’ve been passing my days as an ordinary person. No matter if my choice is to play professionally or to retire, the choices are my own, so I can get used to it all.
178: Lately, rumors of your return to the Dota scene have attracted widespread attention, have you decided to come back?
ZSMJ: Yes. Here I can give everyone a definite answer, and my new team is under construction right now.
178: What were the reasons behind deciding to come back? Is it because in your heart you could never let Dota go, or Dota2’s massive prize pool competitions?
ZSMJ: Actually it’s none of those. It can only be said to be an alignment of the stars, a well-timed return of a friend, who successfully talked me into it, which ultimately allowed me to decide to return.
178: Can you reveal anything about the process of forming your new team?
ZSMJ: The final 5 man roster hasn’t been confirmed yet, because in the current scene it’s still quite hard to find suitable people. Personally speaking, once the team is formed, then the only goal is to strive for championships, nothing else.
178: How much experience have you had with Dota2, have you already gotten used to it?
ZSMJ: Started playing it about a month ago, getting used to it requires a process, and I firmly believe that as long as I continue practicing, I will for sure become good at this game.
178: Previously there have been vods of your Dota2 play, and there were comments saying that your ability had declined, do you feel the same way?
ZSMJ: I don’t feel so. Perhaps expectations for me are too high, resulting in a gap between that and reality. But really, this is a process for me to get back into it, plus Dota2 for me is starting from scratch, added to the time that I had been retired, so of course there will be a period of time I need to find my form. I believe in myself, and I ask everyone to also believe in me.
178: How much time do you spend now on Dota2?
ZSMJ: Apart from eating and sleeping, all I do is play Dota2. I am a very focused person, if I decide to go do something, it can be the only thing I ever spend my time on.
178: In matchmaking have you bumped up against other professional players? What is your win rate like against them?
ZSMJ: We all win some, lose some I think. Because you still have to look at my pub teammates’ performances. Players like those from iG, DK, LGD have all had more time with Dota2, so they’re certainly more experienced with the game than I am. What I can do now is to simply take every match seriously, get used to Dota2 more quickly, I believe hard work will pay off.
178: In the past you had released a few Dota first person commentary vods, have you had thoughts of becoming a commentator?
ZSMJ: I can say with certainty, no. My first person vods are completely done out of my own interest, to thank everyone for supporting me. But now I’ve decided to come back, so my focus is entirely on practicing, so in the future I probably won’t be updating any vods.
178: Okay, thank you 马甲哥 (Majiage, his Steam name for quite a while, means ‘vest dude’ literally, but also means ‘sockpuppet bro’ — thanks reddit user Rice_22). At the last, say a few words for all your fans.
ZSMJ: Thank you to everyone for still remembering me and wondering about me. This year of ordinary life has allowed me to learn a lot. No matter what, the most important thing is following your interests, and you must have passion for it. I will not let your hopes down. Once my new team is confirmed, I hope that you will support us all too.
Original: http://dota2.replays.net/news/page/20121126/1752319.html
Replays.Net: 430 hello, welcome to this interview with Replays.Net, first say hi to everyone
iG.430: Hello everyone, I am Dota player 430 from iG
RN: Dota2 has become an official competition of WCG, so do you have any thoughts about finally being able to meet and face fellow Dota players on the WCG stage?
430: I’m very excited, WCG is an old-school name and I’ve been drawn to it since I was young.
RN: Dendi is also supposed to attend this WCG, and the two of you are the top solo mid players in the world, can you talk a bit with us about your experiences playing against him, and how you will approach it this WCG?
430: Dendi’s play is quite intelligent, playing against him, typically it’s the mid-game teamfights where he displays flawless execution.
RN: ChuaN due to nationality cannot play with iG at WCG this time, what kind of reaction has he had to this?
430: A bit sad I think, missing out on such a big competition.
RN: Hearing that Chisbug will be replacing ChuaN for this competition, we want to ask how Chisbug is doing in Dota2? How has his training been with you all? Will positions within the team change because of Chisbug being added in?
430: Chisbug is temporarily replacing ChuaN’s position for this WCG, his pub play is pretty good. The training has also been decent, and there will be no position changes because he’s just replacing ChuaN for now.
RN: G-1 offline your performances weren’t very good, and there are some strong opponents at WCG, have you made any adjustments in the time between then and now to prepare?
430: Hard work in training, work on improving form. And some analysis of pick and ban lineups.
RN: In your view, who are your biggest opponents at WCG? Surely iG’s goal must be champions, how much confidence do you have?
430: DK and NaVi think, and 50% confidence in being champions.
RN: Competitions both in China and around the world have pretty much all transitioned to Dota2 now, yet many Chinese teams hold varying degrees of love for DotA, what are your views on the trends in transitions?
430: It’s simply the greater trend now, I think once people are used to Dota2, most will prefer it more.
RN: The Chinese vendor for Dota2 has been confirmed as Perfect World. From a professional player’s point of view, can you give an opinion, or some suggestions?
430: The experience for new players must be well implemented, and then it’s ensuring server quality, as well as incorporating anti-hack systems.
RN: We all know that you often queue with JJ Lin (Dotaland note: Chinese mega pop star, srsly huge in Asia), this has made us all curious — what is his skill leve like? Does he have interest in your competition results? Is there ever any discussion of competitions?
430: Pretty much average pub player level. As for competitions, he doesn’t follow them. He just plays for fun when he’s got some time.
RN: After the International in Seattle, many Chinese Dota2 teams have seen improved flexibility and creativity in lineups and strategies, drafting many formerly un-used heroes to the clan war stage. On this matter, iG has definite right to speak, so can you explain to us a bit about what brought about these new developments, and whether there have been any changes in mental approaches?
430: Because in Dota2 some heroes have much improved movement projectile animations, such as Leshrac and Queen of Pain, in addition to some differences in mechanics, so we have rarely used Dota1 heroes becoming more popular in Dota2. In terms of mental approach, we’ve become more eager to play less utilized heroes.
RN: At this WCG are there any specific players or competitions that you are particularly interested in following?
430: Not right now, no.
RN: There are two Mongolian teams at this WCG whom you have never faced before, it might be that they have some special tactics prepared, is there any pressure?
430: This is something that can only be known once we face off, [it’s not a new situation] because there are many able teams in the SEA Dota2 scene.
RN: WCG is a worldwide competition, with strong representative teams from various countries coming to determine a victor. Of course, in both Dota1 and Dota2 Chinese teams are top in terms of ability, what do you feel is the reason Chinese teams can establish and maintain this lead?
430: More professional scene than in other places. In my understanding, most other teams in other countries are strictly online, only coming together for a few days before major competitions.
RN: We’ve talked so much about competition, can you tell everyone a bit about your everyday life? Apart from training do you have any other activities and interests? We all want to know how vibrant and colorful our player-gods’ lives are….
430: Actually it’s very ordinary… after training every night we all just go and play a few pubs, watch something, or read something, stuff like that.
RN: If iG wins the first WCG Dota2 competition and you need to speak on stage, what would you say?
430: I would say a childhood dream has been realized.
RN: Thank you 430 for doing this interview with us, and we wish you success at WCG and glory for the motherland.
430: Thank you to Replays.Net for the interview, I will bring good form and win the competition.
Source: http://dota2.sgamer.com/news/201211/148195.html (apparently the original original is from Replays.Net, can’t find that though… nor did I look really hard)
RN: It could be said that WCG used to be the absolute top of world esports competition, but as other competition scaled up both their size and prizepools, it feels as if WCG is no longer a major attraction. How do you all feel towards WCG as a competition?
BurNing: I believe that many people only became interested in esports because of WCG, me being one of them. No matter what the prize pool is, WCG has been around for all these years, so it undoubtedly remains one of the most influential events around the world.
RN: Your team just ended their G-1 competition. Surely for a team such as yours with such grand ambitions and confidence, taking second place was not satisfactory. This WCG is a very good opportunity to redeem yourselves somewhat, do you feel that this will be a new start for you?
BurNing: Compared to LGD and iG, we’ve always been in more of a breaking in period in terms of teamwork. Our G-1 results indeed cannot leave us satisfied, we lost due to insufficient preparation, so we await the upcoming challenges presented by WCG.
RN: We all feel that current DK has great talent, but it seems that there were communication issues between players. Right now have there been adjustments and discussions regarding who should take the lead in matches, in order to avoid splits in decision-making in the future?
BurNing: These problems have indeed shown themselves a bit recently, in both bans and picks as well as overall tactical thought there have been not insignificant amounts of differences, and we’re currently making adjustments.
RN: In this G-1, Luna had an extremely high win rate, and Magnus and Jakiro both joined in as hot commodities, yet it seems like DK doesn’t tend to favor picking heroes like these, with you guys more often going for Leshrac, Invoker. Does this have to do with your team style, or what? Have you tried some new strategies?
BurNing: We’ve been too singular in our training, and our picks haven’t been very suitable for the current tempo of games, yet we never went to try new setups. These issues are a result of inappropriate training methods.
RN: It feels like the overall ability of your opponents at this WCG aren’t very strong, with various teams missing members due to WCG regulations, including iG without ChuaN. Does this lead to more confidence in winning the title here?
BurNing: Even without ChuaN, they’re still very strong. Additionally, Orange as well as the Ukrainian team led by Dendi cannot be underestimated.
RN: In your eyes, right now who is a tougher opponent between LGD and iG, and who do you like to face more?
BurNing: Both are quite tough, and we don’t like facing either, it’s just that towards the later stages of competitions they’ll always be there.
RN: From a professional player’s point of view, is it easy road to win for you or is it a bit sad that so many strong teams and players won’t be present?
BurNing: Those with ability will naturally be able to win, those without it can only watch others win, so it all has nothing to do with who is participating in a given competition.
RN: So these teams at WCG are mostly all unknown, do you think that all the non-Chinese teams are walkovers?
BurNing: At WCG we will not slack in any match, we will take every opponent seriously.
RN: WCG has always lacked a Dota competition, so as a first-time participant of WCG this year, do you have any thoughts?
BurNing: First time participating in a world finals for WCG, I’m sure it will be very exciting and fierce.
RN: Does your family occasionally watch you in your competitions?
BurNing: Occasionally they will. Usually it’s when I win, I give them a call, and when I lose, they give me a call. It’s been quite a while since I gave them a call.
RN: Although many fans have been very disappointed with your recent performances, really it’s because everyone has a sort of high expectation for DK. So any words to those fans and followers?
BurNing: Thank you to i-ROCKS for sponsoring our team, thank you to everyone for their long-time hopes and support of DK. We’ve disappointed you all, we’re currently working hard to make adjustments, so believe us, we’ll be back.
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